'Chase a Killer' delivers the drama

What's it like to walk in a killer's shoes? Should anyone feel sorry for a murderer?

Susan Chamberlin

What's it like to walk in a killer's shoes? Should anyone feel sorry for a murderer?

Scarlett Ridgeway Savage's play "Chase a Killer, Catch a Killer, Run, Run, Run" takes the audience on a psychological tour of a serial killer's mind as a beleaguered cop tries to save the life of the latest kidnap victim of the Seacoast Slasher.

The opening scene, with a table, two folding chairs, a police officer and a suspect, provides all the ingredients for a satisfying crime drama. In "Chase a Killer," the classic "Who done it?" is combined with the psychological thriller, "Why'd he do it?" Savage's play skillfully weaves these plot lines together creating an evening of suspenseful creepiness. The suspected killer James Drake argues his innocence through a series of flashbacks. If Drake didn't do it, what kind of person did? Drake, played by Christopher Savage, is charming and glib, smoothly convincing as an unscrupulous conman who enjoys pulling the strings to watch others jump. His ease is countered by Ed Hinton's portrayal of small town cop, Detective Tim Morgan, bureaucratic, well meaning, and not too bright. The audience wants him to succeed, but still enjoys Drakes teasing as he leads the detective around by the nose.

The police interrogation of Drake is interspersed with flashbacks to a troubled teen's life, movingly portrayed by Camden Brown as Jimmy and Sam Modigliani as his girlfriend Rory. These kids from abusive families provide emotional heft to the typical explanation of cruelty giving rise to obsessional revenge killings. What the audience doesn't know is, "Who are these kids? Drake in his formative years or some other killer?" This suspense is what keeps the show moving along.

To further explore the psychological angle, Savage gives us a victim who is news reporter LeighAnne McDermott, convincingly portrayed by Liz Crane. A possible incentive for the crime is her interview with another serial killer, "Bruce the Butcher" played to eerily effect by Scott Caple. The butcher lets the audience in on the sexual perversion of a confessed murderer. So if this is how a killer thinks, who on the outside thinks like this? Drake seems to, but...;it's not clear until the very end which side he's on. Almost too convincing to be watched comfortably, the torture scenes do not back away from the terror of the victim and go on perhaps, a little too long, giving the show an R rating for emotional if not graphic violence. Andrew Nowacki enjoys his chance to be a monster as both the abusive step father and another suspect Dave Nareen, making the audience wince with the sinister glee he brings to his sleazy characters.

While the reliance on "Silence of the Lambs" and "Zodiac" is apparent, the story does break new ground with original plot twists. The second act bogs down a couple of times with some unnecessary melodrama, and watching someone read a computer monitor only goes so far. However these complaints are small as on the whole, the play delivers the drama and suspense demanded of a crime thriller.

Director G. Mathew Gaskell makes the most of the Ring's small stage, using the down stage area effectively to separate the flashbacks in time and space from the ongoing police investigation. The set is spare, relying on the actor's skill to bring the audience along with little scenery and few props.

Through March 9 at The Players' Ring, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth. Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 7 p.m. Tickets for general admission are $10 for members, $12 for non-members. Student and senior tickets are $8 for members, $10 for non-members. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling the Players' Ring at 436-8123. This show is not recommended for children.

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